?”
“In the stacks,” Maneshka replied. “Meleng is answering Sinit?a’s questions. Suspecting it would take awhile, I decided to bring some of the books we found up to you.”
“The other books,” Maneshka said, reaching to take one of them, “are more from the Volganth collection. Meleng and I will continue our attempts to decipher them.”
A short while later, she looked up from the book. Maneshka had moved down the table a short distance and was writing notes on the book she was reading. “You know,” Felit?a said, “this is reminding me of the lessons I had with Ardon when I was young.” Ardon would probably be better at reading or deciphering this than she would. She wondered what he was up to. She’d seen very little of him on Scovese. She should seek him out and inform him what she’d been doing. Then again, he probably already knew.
So Felit?a began to tell Maneshka about how she’d travelled across Arnor, how she’d met Elderaan, and how he had taken her in. She told her about Zandrue and eventually about her telepathy. Felit?a paused at that moment and waited for a response from Maneshka.
Maneshka smirked. “And then you fell asleep.”
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They spent several moments just staring into each other’s eyes. Felit?a could feel that attraction emanating from Maneshka again. No, not just attraction. Lust. There was lust there. It was starting to become difficult to tell where her own feelings ended and Maneshka’s began. Her heart was beating fast again. A sense of panic passed over her—she was pretty certain it was her own.
Maneshka lowered her head with a smile. “I once kept pet rats in secret. My mother would have been very angry if she had ever found out. I was always afraid she would. Does that count?”
Once more, panic flooded Felit?a and she pulled away. “I should get back to work.” Again, she blurted the words. Again, she regretted it almost immediately.
“Of course,” Maneshka said, disappointment coming from her. “Apologies. I have been too forward again.” Maneshka picked her pen back up, dipped it in her inkwell, and returned to the book she had been deciphering.
“No, no,” Felit?a said. “I...I just...I’m just a little scared. That’s all. This is new to me.”
Maneshka put the pen down and looked back at her. “You have never...?”
“It is all right. We will go more slowly then.”
Felit?a laughed and shook her head. “No, just the telepathy. Although there is this weird thing, and it’s related to something I’ve wanted to ask you. I have this...vision or dream or something. In my head. I think it’s been there a long time, for years probably. At least as long as I’ve known Zandrue, I think, although I didn’t realise it at the time. There are these people in my head. Not literally, of course. They’re real people, and I see them in complete, total detail. I’m not sure how many there are. They’re only revealed to me as I meet or learn of them in real life. Anyway, one of them is the head of Emperor Rojdan’s personal guard, a man named Kindanog. I was wondering if maybe you knew a way I could make some sort of formal petition to see him. I asked Adranaska and he said he asked for me, but Kindanog is too busy. But if you know some sort of process, a waiting list I can be put on...”
“No, not at all. I just wanted—Can you get me a meeting? No, no, that’s not what I’ve been after. I want a meeting with him, yes, but I just wondered if you knew the process. Why would that be a problem? I don’t understand.”
“Now I don’t understand again,” Felit?a said.
The four Isyar spread their arms in the same manner. One of them said, “We represent the Isyar Lords. Their Honours would like to visit the library. They have sent us to make the appropriate arrangements.”
Felit?a watched Maneshka until she disappeared through one of the back doors. Then she looked back over at the four Isyar, who were talking amongst themselves, commenting on the library and the translation spell, which they had all noticed already.